His Fic Saturday ~ Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...1648

Simon&Schuster
20 August 2019

The Fairmile Series #1

Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of a civil war between renegade King and rebellious Parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands – the marshy landscape of the south coast.

Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead, she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.

Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbors. This is the time of witch-mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.

What did I think about it..

The English Civil war pitted family against family, brother against brother and father against son, and everywhere there was discordance and suspicion, and for a woman, without a man to protect her, trying to eke out a living was a dangerous and lonely time. Alinor does what she can to keep a meagre roof above her head and tries with her limited resources to keep a close watch on her son and daughter, hoping that by some miracle she can continue, despite her husband's mysterious absence, to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. On Midsummer's Eve, when the dead are presumed to walk, Alinor waits by the church for news of her missing husband, but instead she meets James, a young man with dark and deadly secrets of his own, and from that fateful first meeting James and Alinor's fates are sealed. 

Following on from this author's acclaimed Plantagenet and Tudor series of novels, Tidelands sees a welcome return to more romantic historical fiction rather than based purely om the lives of Kings and Queens, and even though Charles I does make an appearance in the novel, this is about the Civil War after all, he doesn't dominate the story. Instead the narrative follows the relationship between Alinor and James and of the troubled times in which they are living.

As always the historical background is exceptionally good and the Sussex tidal lands are beautifully described with a melancholy air which lingers throughout the story. There is unrest and suspicion, particularly against Alinor, and many in this remote village of just a hundred souls view her skill as a healer with more than a touch of misgiving, and even when they visit for herbal cures they're never entirely comfortable with her.  

Within this first story there's a certain amount of scene setting which makes the story a little bit slow in places but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book, or of wondering where the story will go to in the next installment. I rather liked the romantic element which sets the scene for whatever is to come as the series progresses, and as this is only book one, I suspect we have a way to go before everything is Alinor's troubled life is laid to rest.

Years ago I read and enjoyed The Wise Woman by this author and there are the same elements of witchcraft and superstition in Tidelands which appeal to my imagination. And even though this book was first published in the summer time I do think it particularly lends itself to this time of year as we approach Halloween especially with all the superstition which still plays around witchcraft and magic.

Tidelands is published in hardback and is available from all good book retailers.

About the Author

Philippa Gregory is the author of many bestselling novels, including The Other Boleyn Girl, and is a recognised authority on women's history.

Twitter@PhilippaGbooks #Tidelands

@simonschusterUK

Guest Author ...Victoria Cornwall

I am delighted to welcome Choc Lit author

Victoria Cornwall

What Makes the Perfect Heroine?

I was once asked, “What is your perfect heroine?” It was a simple question and the answer was easy … or so I thought. I stirred my cappuccino as I considered my reply and eventually answered, “She has to be nice.” It was a lame answer and one that my English teacher would have scolded me for. The word “nice” didn’t quite sum up what I meant. The word was just too ... well … nice.

The topic moved on to something else quite unrelated to writing, so it was much later when I thought about the question again. I realised the heroine had to be someone I, as a reader, wanted to spend time with as I accompanied her on her fictional journey.

I realise that there are many unlikeable heroines who have propelled their authors to the bestseller list. Amber in Forever Amber and Scarlet in Gone with the Wind are manipulative and shallow women. They are not the type of woman I would want to befriend, yet these heroines are some of the most successful in the literary world. Readers identified with their inner strength and determination to succeed. These unique women were not the “perfect” heroine.

However, the perfect heroine can be just as annoying to read about. She has beauty, education, cares for wounded animals, the homeless … even the rat in the pantry. She has medical knowledge to heal every wound, can shoot, ride, dance and play the minuet with her eyes closed. In her spare time she teaches orphans three languages and men fall at her feet. No, she is not my perfect heroine. A little too much perfect is like too much sugar, too nauseatingly sweet and makes me prone to feelings of inadequacy.

A writer has to strike the right balance. If she doesn’t, the heroine risks being thrown in the bin or deleted into hyperspace, along with the rest of the characters in the book!

So when I became a writer, I made a list of attributes for my perfect heroine and the list went something like this:

- Feminine without being weak.

- Shows both strength and vulnerability.

- Shows kindness without being over indulgent or saintly.

- Shows wit without being prickly or sarcastic.

- Has fears, insecurities and imperfections, but finds the courage to overcome them.

- She can change her mind without appearing fickle.

It was a tall list, but one I kept in mind when I wrote the heroines in The Thief’s Daughter and The Captain’s Daughter.

Jenna, in The Thief’s Daughter, is loyal, resilient and brave, but these same admirable qualities lead her into trouble when she feels unable to refuse her brother’s request for help. Jenna also has weaknesses and insecurities which she has to learn to overcome. 

Janey, in The Captain’s Daughter, starts out naïve, but events beyond her control force her to become wiser and stronger until others look to her for her strength and courage. According to my list, they are my perfect heroines for the simple reason they are imperfect, but have a hidden strength … just like the rest of us.

The Thief’s Daughter is now available to purchase in paperback and eBook and The Captain’s Daughter is available to buy as an eBook. 

The Thief’s Daughter

Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away ...

Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, and the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers.

Terrified by a thief-taker's warning as a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. When her brother, Silas, asks for her help to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the dangerous world of the smuggling trade.

Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs in revenge for his father's death. Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover their lives are entangled. But as Jenna struggles to decide where her allegiances lie, the worlds of justice and crime collide, leading to danger and heartache for all concerned ...

For buying options click HERE.

The Captain’s Daughter

Sometimes you need to discover your own strength in order to survive …

After a family tragedy, Janey Carhart was forced from her comfortable life as a captain’s daughter into domestic service. Determined to make something of herself, Janey eventually finds work as a lady’s maid at the imposing Bosvenna Manor on the edge of Bodmin Moor, but is soon caught between the two worlds of upstairs and downstairs, and accepted by neither, as she cares for her mistress.

Desperately lonely, Janey catches the attention of two men – James Brockenshaw and Daniel Kellow. James is heir to the Bosvenna estate, a man whose eloquent letters to his mother warm Janey’s heart. Daniel Kellow is a neighbouring farmer with a dark past and a brooding nature, yet with a magnetism that disturbs Janey. Two men. Who should she choose? Or will fate decide.

For buying options click HERE.

Author Bio

Cornish born author, Victoria Cornwall, can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. This background and heritage has given her an understanding and knowledge of Cornish rural life which is the inspiration for her writing.

Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession finally allowed her time to write. Her writing has been shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction in 2014 and her debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter was a finalist in the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award.

She likes her romance books to have a strong background story but at the centre is the unmistakable emotion, passion and even pain of loving someone.

She is married with two grown up children.

Website: www.victoriacornwall.com

Twitter: @VickieCornwall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx

Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall/

Huge thanks to Victoria for her wonderful guest post today and also to Lusana at Choc Lit for her continued support of Jaffareadstoo.

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Hist Fic Saturday ~ The White Camellia by Juliet Greenwood

On Hist Fic Saturday let's go back in time


to the ...Edwardian age

Honno Press
2016

BeatriceTressillion is trying to make a new life in London having been forced to leave her home, at Tressillion House, in Cornwall. Caught up in the suffragette movement, the whole concept that women could have their own voice, is for Bea, a tantalising, and it must be said, enlightening prospect.

Sybil Ravensdale is a strong willed and independent woman, who having made her fortune as a hotelier in America, returns to the Cornwall of her youth, and finds herself in the envious position of being able to buy the stately, Tressillion House .

On the surface neither of these two women should have anything in common but the thread of Tressillion House binds the two together and gradually a story of dark secrets, lost inheritances and secret love emerges.

There is much to enjoy in this beautifully written Edwardian saga which looks more closely at the changing attitude to women and of the danger of forging an independent path, which Sybil discovers to her cost. The author writes with descriptive ease and brings both the stark beauty of Cornwall and the exciting streets of London to vivid life. I especially enjoyed the sections at the eponymous White Camellia tearoom in London, with its hum of female voices and the prospect of a slice or two of the White Camellia's delicious tea loaf. But there is so more to the story than descriptive slices of cake, there is an underlying mystery and an ever present sense of intrigue.

Lyrical, descriptive and beautifully redolent of a bygone era, The White Camellia is one of those lovely historical sagas which is meticulously researched and written so lovingly by an author who really makes history come alive.

More about the Author can be found on her website by clicking here 

Twitter @julietgreenwood

Facebook

My thanks to the author for my copy of The White Camellia

Other novels by this author

 

Review ~ To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin

Allen & Unwin
Atlantic Books
February 2017

What's it all about...

In February 1887, Caitriona Wallace and Émile Nouguier meet in a hot air balloon, floating high above Paris, France--a moment of pure possibility. But back on firm ground, their vastly different social strata become clear.As the Eiffel Tower rises, a marvel of steel and air and light, the subject of extreme controversy and a symbol of the future, Cait and Émile must decide what their love is worth.

What did I think about it...

This interesting love story is set during the glory days of the La Belle Époque when the world was innovated both by design and invention. Widow, Caitriona Wallace, is the paid companion of brother and sister, Jamie and Alice Arrol, and their arrival in Paris is the culmination of a European tour. Caitriona does not expect to find love again, nor does she seek it out, but a chance meeting with, Émile Nouguier, the Eiffel Tower architect, starts a delicate relationship which opens up a wealth of unseen possibilities for Caitriona.

The story is nicely written and brings eighteenth century Paris alive in the imagination. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and think that the author did a good job in demonstrating the expectations of people in different social classes. There are a few really interesting female characters that help to give the book its light and shade. I particularly liked Gabrielle, Émile's feisty mistress, whose chaotic lifestyle clearly showed that life, for some women was never going to be easy. However, I'm not sure that the men come across with any redeeming qualities, Jamie Arrol, in particular, is a bit of a loose cannon and I think that the author captured what it was like for an aimless young man who had too much time and not enough common sense. Émile Nouguier is rather an enigma, and whilst I wanted to like him for Caitriona's sake, I found him rather disappointing as a romantic lead character. The detailed description of the construction of the Eiffel Tower was particularly fascinating as was the people’s reaction to its construction and completion.

To Capture What we Cannot Keep is a quietly confident and intelligently written historical novel. It captures the atmosphere of nineteenth century Paris really well both in terms of its social constraints and also of the magic of living in such a wonderfully inventive age.

Best Read with ... Delicate French pâtisserie..

About the Author

Beatrice Colin is a novelist based in Glasgow. The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite, a novel set in Berlin in the early twentieth century was translated into eight languages and was Richard and Judy pick. Beatrice has been shortlisted for a British Book award, a Saltire award and a Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Award. She also writes plays and adaptations of BBC Radio 4.

My thanks to Karen at Atlantic Books for my review copy of this book

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Review ~ The Consul's Daughter by Jane Jackson

Accent Press
2015

When Teuder Bonython becomes unable to run his beloved boat yard, his daughter Caseley takes on the daunting responsibility of keeping the business viable, but this is not an easy task for a young woman in Victorian England, and Caseley encounters many difficulties, which, at times, seem insurmountable. Her life becomes even more complicated when she meets, Jago Barata, the half Spanish captain of one of the Bonython ships, who’s brashness and audacity both appeals and frightens Caseley. Unprepared for the effect that Jago will have on her life, Caseley is determined to succeed in a male dominated world, with, or without, Jago’s interference.

I really enjoyed getting to know Caseley, whose determined personality confirms that she is no shrinking violet when it comes to business, but there was also a softer side to her personality, with an aching vulnerably, which, I thought, was nicely explored, and which became more evident in her dealings with Jago Barata. Jago is, from his detailed description, very easy on the eye, and I had no difficulty in being fascinated by him! He was a clever contradiction of being both fearless and tender at the same time.

The Consul’s Daughter is a lovely story. I enjoyed both the romance and the history, and felt that time and place was captured perfectly. I really felt like I was in the boatyard with Caseley and Jago, watching the ships arrive and cargoes being unloaded, with the tang of sea salt and the kiss of sea spray in the air. The author’s evident love of writing and her skill at story telling make the story both exciting, and realistic. The mystery at the heart of the novel has just the right amount of adventure to keep the story interesting and informative, and yet, it is in the relationship between Caseley and Jago where romance is allowed to take centre stage. I thought that there was a lovely blend of attraction and desire between Caseley and Jago, I enjoyed getting to know them as characters, and hoped that everything would turn out right for them.

The ending of the story lends itself nicely to a continuation of The Captain’s Honour Series and I look forward to reading more in future novels.

About the Author

Follow Jane on Twitter @JJacksonAuthor
Find her on Facebook 

A professional writer for over 30 years, Jane Jackson has had 27 books published with world-wide sales topping ten million. Shortlisted twice for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, she has also taught the craft of Novel Writing at every level from Writers’ summer schools and Ad Ed to the MA in Professional Writing at University College Falmouth.

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

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Review ~ Harcourt's Mountain by Elaine Dodge

Tirgearr Publishing
2014

Set in the frontier land of nineteenth century British Columbia, and during a time of tremendous change for the country, this story looks at what it was like to be a settler in a strange land. When Luke Harcourt buys himself a bride from the mysteriously named bride ship, he at first thinks that he is merely rescuing Hope Booker from a life of prostitution and hardship. Not really wanting a bride, and recognising that Hope is not like the usual sort of woman who finds herself on a bride ship, Luke is determined not to foster any romantic notions about her. However, gradually the two of them, forced together by circumstance, develop feelings for each other. What then follows is an interesting story of the struggle both Luke and Hope must encounter before they are allowed to let their love grow and develop into something meaningful.

I enjoyed this story, which, I thought, at first, would be a rather light-hearted wilderness story but it is so much more than that. Most of the characters are lovely, and such is the emotional bond between them that you begin to care about what happens, and equally, the unscrupulous  rogues who seem hell bent on making life as difficult as possible for Luke and Hope, are just as compelling. Throughout the story, I was quite beguiled by both Luke and Hope and enjoyed seeing how their individual stories developed. Hope is a determined and courageous young woman, imbued with that frontier spirit which was such an important and necessary trait in the early settlers and, of course, from the author's descriptions, and in my imagination, Luke is very easy on the eye, which of course helps enormously in bringing him to life !

The author does a good job in describing both place and people, and there is such an authentic feel to her description of the frontier land around Harcourt's Mountain that I really felt like I was there with them all. In Harcourt's Mountain, the rugged landscape, the inherent danger of the times and the uncertainty of Luke's and Hope’s future happiness, all combine to make this an interesting historical romance.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

About The Author

Elaine was born in Zambia, grew up in Zimbabwe and currently lives in South Africa. Books have filled her life from the very beginning. She trained as a designer, worked in that industry for years, even running her own company for a while. A long stint in advertising followed. In the last few years, she's been toiling away in the TV industry, winning an odd international award. But that wasn’t enough. She wanted to “tell stories”. She is passionate about it. She feels most alive when she's writing, and delights in letting her imagination run riot. In November 2011, she finally took the plunge and decided to “wrestle the Rottweiler” and started putting all those stories on paper.

Follow the author:

Website
On Facebook
On Twitter @ElaineRosemaryD

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

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Review ~ One Apple Tasted by Josa Young

Elliot & Thompson
2009

Set between several very different time frames, One Apple Tasted explores the boundaries between love, friendship and those indefinable moments which can change the course of a life in a heartbeat. The story opens in 1982, on St Agnes Eve, when according to Keats... “..Young virgins might have visions of delight...” and for Dora Jerusalem meeting the charming Guy Boleyn at a party offers a very charming vision of delight. 

I enjoyed getting to know Dora; she is product of her time. I remember that to be young and female in the eighties was a time of great individuality, however, for Dora, despite her independence, she yearned for the conventional. I was less sympathetic to Guy who I felt was an ungentlemanly man and undeserving of Dora’s adoration. Whilst Guy and Dora’s friendship is beset with problems, which beguile throughout the whole of the novel, interspersed within the narrative are the threads of two quite different stories which when taken as a whole help to pull the entire book together.

I won’t go into great detail about plot as that would spoil the overall charm of the story but what I’ll concentrate on is the way that the author manipulates all the threads so that , like a mammoth jigsaw puzzle,  when the last little piece fits , you think ..ah, yes, that makes sense !  Overall, One Apple Tasted is nicely written, and I can see why there was such excitement about it when it was first published, however, it must be remembered that this was the author’s debut novel, and at times, perhaps her enthusiastic excitement at this being her first novel shows in trying to place too many people and plots together. However, generally speaking the book works rather well and once I had all the characters in their rightful place in my mind, I could relax into the story.

I’m embarrassed to say that this book has sat unread on my book shelf since its publication in 2009. I remember reading a very good review of the book in one of the weekend newspapers and bought it on the strength that. Why it has then remained unread is a mystery to me - it just emphasises that we all have hidden gems squirreled away for a rainy day and that from time to time we should delve into the dusty recesses of our bookshelves to see what hidden delights we can discover.

About the Author

 

 Josa Young's second book Sail upon the Land 

will be published on 1 December 2014

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Review ~ Under His Protection by Stacy Von Haegert

White Rose Trilogy #1
Pubshelf
2013

Hot-headed and handsome young men, dastardly villains and a beautiful and tempestuous heroine, all combine to make this an enjoyable romp through the glitterati of Victorian England. Not to be taken too seriously, the story tells of the turbulent attraction between the enigmatic Duke of Ravenswood and the passionate Greyland Kingston, a woman whose very beauty sets Victorian society blazing. However, the Kingston family, newly returned to England, are the keepers of a long buried secret, which if discovered, could compromise the stability of the English royal family.

What then follows is an enjoyable romantic adventure with a likeable heroine and a sexy swashbuckling hero who fights almost to the very death to protect the woman he loves and admires. Overall, I found much to enjoy in the story, although at times I did have to suspend belief at the historical interpretation and I was disappointed that the final edit of the book did not correct the glaringly obvious spelling mistakes, which I’m afraid became a real irritation.

However, I am sure that if you enjoy romantic historical fiction and are not too troubled by historical inconsistencies and you can overlook spelling mistakes then you are going to find much to enjoy within the story. Its characters are lively and engaging and the added frisson of sexual tension which threads through the story is nicely written without being overly salacious.

As this is the start of a proposed trilogy, my hope is that as the series progresses, the story will go from strength to strength.

My thanks to pubshelf.com for my ecopy of this book to read and review.

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